Toward Decline
China Is Moving Toward a New Form of Coercion at Sea
The Diplomat Institutional·2026-09-18PLAP5: Strategic DecouplingP6: Defence SurgeP7: Alliance Architecture
Why it matters
China is demonstrating a disciplined, institutionalized approach to maritime coercion around Taiwan that establishes fait accompli control over shipping lanes and normalizes PLA/CCG presence. This constrains Taiwan's room to manoeuvre and tests allied response tolerance, directly challenging Australia's maritime interests in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific balance that underpins Australian deterrence strategy.
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